Ultra's 24/7 Guard Against Arson

Ultra Surefire’s water mist systems have continually demonstrated their value in protecting vulnerable people such as the elderly and those with disabilities. Rapidly suppressing fire with their gentle but highly effective clouds of tiny micro-droplets, our water mist fire protection solutions provide a first line of protection for a wide range of applications, from safeguarding care home residents to protecting individuals at risk in their own properties.

Unfortunately, fire hazards are now increasingly generated as a result of criminal activity. Recent statistics claim that arson is the fastest growing crime in the UK. Every week an average of 2,100 fires are started deliberately across the UK, resulting in a weekly average of 55 injuries and two deaths. The cost per week is a staggering £40 million.

(see http://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/info/870/community_safety/222/arson)

However, once again water mist systems are on hand with their invaluable fire suppression capabilities. Recent tests carried out at Surrey Fire & Rescue Service have proved how our UltraGuard portable water mist fire protection system can deal with arson attacks. The tests (involving cardboard sheeting soaked in four litres of petrol and ignited) showed how UltraGuard could be activated by a flame detector or smoke detector to rapidly to lower the fire temperature. Simultaneously, carbon monoxide and noxious gas levels were reduced to survivable levels and the fire suppressed within seconds.

The demonstrations were organised by Fire Investigation and Arson Reduction Manager Bryn Strudwick and attended by Mark Howells, Surrey Police Crime Reduction Advisor, who respond to concerns of the police and rescue services about known threats of petrol arson attacks being made on families in the UK. Bryn Strudwick explained that typically, arson attacks on households involve between one and five litres of petrol being poured through the letterbox and then ignited. He added that “With stairways frequently leading directly from the front door area, fire can migrate rapidly to upper levels. These tests have confirmed that the UltraGuard water mist system is a fast reacting and effective barrier for protecting those at risk.”

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UltraGuard portable water mist system has received growing interest from fire and rescue services across the UK in line with their desire to have sprinkler or misting systems installed in the homes of the elderly and vulnerable. Those lacking mobility and particularly smokers are most at risk.

Recently, BBC East Midlands TV highlighted the UltraGuard installation by the Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service after a Home Fire Safety Check at the property of an elderly lady in Long Eaton. A short while later a fire caused by a cigarette falling into a litter bin could have had disastrous consequences but for UltraGuard’s fast-acting water mist fire suppression.

Following a similar event involving UltraGuard coming to the rescue of an 86 year old smoker whose cigarette had ignited newspapers in his living room, Chief Fire Officer Martyn Emberson of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service fully endorsed the provision and installation of the UltraGuard water mist system to help protect the most vulnerable in society. “It really is like having your own fire fighter on hand 24/7 to put out a fire,” he said.

Holding 110 litres of water, UltraGuard acts as a first response in protecting the vulnerable. The system’s gentle water mist action will extinguish fire and the system is engineered to alert the fire and rescue services. The system can be installed in the hallway or fitted remotely with the nozzle in place to cover the area requiring protection.

UltraGuard, using only a small amount of foam additive, will fully safeguard a space of up to 20 square metres and yet only uses 10% of the water required by conventional sprinklers. This minimises water damage to the property and assets as well as saving the occupants from the danger of injury or death.

The tests at Surrey Fire & Rescue also involved a bed fire with duvet and pillow that was rapidly and successfully extinguished by Ultra Surefire’s new VillaMist domestic fire protection system. There’ll be more news coming about this exciting new safeguard against fires in the home, so watch this space!

Heroes in the Battle against Fire

Ultra Fire Group is committed to being at the forefront of fire protection and has pioneered the use of water mist fire suppression technology and other innovations in the battle against fire.

Throughout history, fire has been a formidable tool for advances in industry, science and improving the quality of life, but out of control it can be lethal and destructive. In less than a week, the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed 373 acres of the City, burning over 13,000 houses, 84 churches (including the old St Paul’s Cathedral) and 44 company halls.

The first heroes in the battle against fire were both English: the chemist Ambrose Godfrey, who established the first recorded fire extinguisher patent in England in 1723, and George Manby, who brought out the first portable fire extinguisher in 1813. Known as the “Extincteur”, Manby’s invention was a copper canister containing three gallons of potassium carbonate solution and compressed air. This operated on the principle still used by fire extinguishers today; where a fire suppressant is propelled from a container by pressurised gas.
 Manby’s “Extincteur"


The predecessor of the “Extincteur” by nearly 100 years, Ambrose Godfrey’s method was a static system and an ambitious early attempt at the sprinkler technique.  The device was left in place in a room to protect the area against fire. It had a series of fuses that could be ignited when the fire started. These would detonate an explosive charge inside a container full of liquid, which would scatter around the room, aiming to extinguish the flames (and hopefully not blow up any bystanders).

Fire Protection has become a lot more sophisticated and effective since those early days. For instance, water mist is an incredibly impressive fire suppression agent and reduces temperature at an extraordinary rate. This was shown in recent tests when a fire was activated in an 8m x 4m room set at the BRE testing facility, with three Ultra Sidewall Residential nozzles installed at locations along the length of one wall. After only 30 seconds from activating the water mist system, the temperature at head height (1.6m) had dropped by 400oC to below 50oC and in less than two minutes was down to under 20oC.

Nevertheless, it is worth remembering and celebrating the work of these early pioneers of fire protection.  Without their inventive determination, we might still be putting out fires by passing buckets of water along a human chain!

NEW WATER MIST NOZZLE AND CAP - FIRE SUPPRESSION INNOVATIONS FROM ULTRA

Ultra Fire Group is once again ahead of the field in fire protection by launching the first Sidewall water mist nozzle to be tested by the BRE under the new BS9252 residential fire protection standard. Also successfully tested was Ultra’s new 8mm diameter self-releasing thermally activated Concealed Cap with integrated heat element, designed to operate with both Sidewall and pendant water mist nozzles. 

These new products represent the leading edge in fire protection technology; exceptionally effective at suppressing flame and heat, minimising water damage and offering a solution that is virtually invisible to the observer.

The Ultra Sidewall Residential Nozzle is a low pressure water mist appliance developed as the result of an EU sponsored European partnership. Offering up to 16 square metres of area protection, it is ideal for fire suppression in care homes, hotels, historic houses (Ultra Fire Group is currently working on a heritage project of national importance), prisons and a range of residential applications. 

Water mist is an incredibly impressive at fire suppression and reduces temperature at an extraordinary rate. This was shown in an 8m x 4m room set at the BRE testing facility, with three nozzles installed at locations along the length of one wall. After only 30 seconds from activating the water mist system, the temperature at head height (1.6m) had dropped by 400oC to below 50oC and in less than two minutes was down to under 20oC. 

Sidewall nozzles are easy to install and minimise on pipework. Relatively simple configurations can be achieved by running pipes along a wall with the nozzles spaced at the recommended 4m intervals, potentially serving a number of rooms in sequence. This avoids bringing pipes through the ceiling space and installation issues related to concrete ceilings. 

Further features of the Ultra Sidewall Nozzle include:

• Water pressure 8 bar

• Water flow 35 lpm

• K factor (flow rate x √ pressure) 12.4.

• Nozzle brass with thin nickel coating, length 30mm

The Ultra Concealed Cap is thermally activated when the temperature bulb set in its casing breaks. The standard temperature to trigger release is pre-set to 57oC, but the temperature can be set to any desired level. Being screwed on to a Sidewall or pendant nozzle by hand, installation is easy and the Cap can be the last item to be installed after a room is painted, so there is no risk of painting over the nozzles. The Cap can be pained to match the colour scheme of the room.

Peter Kemp, Managing Director of Ultra Fire Group, comments: “Ultra recently launched its new Ultramist fast response low pressure LPR water mist nozzle, which was the first product to be tested at the BRE under the new draft British Standard DD8458-1:2010 for water mist appliances. Our new Sidewall nozzle and cap are exciting innovations in this continually developing technology that is so effective for fire suppression, at protecting people from injury and trauma and in minimising damage to assets.” 

Until British Standards introduced its new testing approach, water mist technology had been hampered under the technical standards regime because its difference to conventional water sprinklers. In fact, its low water usage benefit worked against it when assessed according to the sprinkler standard, which stipulates a minimum 5mm depth of water should be left on the floor surface after the appliance has been used in a fire suppression incident. 

Now this barrier is being removed, water mist is able to demonstrate its value on equal terms with other fire protection systems.

Royal opening for Stirling Palace

The spectacular £12m refurbished royal palace at Stirling Castle was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen on the 6th of July 2011.

First Minister Alex Salmond joined Her Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh to meet some of the many craftspeople who created the intricate carvings, tapestries and paintings that bring the royal apartments to life as Scotland’s most recently opened heritage attraction.

First Minister Alex Salmond said:

“The re-creation of the Royal Palace at Stirling as it would have looked during the reign of the Stewart Dynasty is testament to the magnificent craftsmanship and dedication of a superb conservation team from both Scotland and France.
The three-year refurbishment by Historic Scotland will bring real benefits to the tourist economy both for Stirling and Scotland as a whole and begins a new chapter in the history of one of our country’s best-loved attractions.”

Stirling Castle

The Ultra Fire Group, working as part of a pan European team, have installed a state-of-the-art fire suppression system utilizing the existing fabric of the building to run pipes through ancient culverts and defensive architectural structures.

The fire suppression system protects the gallery housing the 34 surviving Stirling Heads, the 16th century carved wooden roundels that would have adorned the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall.

Not only has there been no intrusion into the fabric of the historic building, but in the event of a fire, the low-pressure water mist system would use less than 1/3 of the normal amount of water used by traditional sprinklers.

The huge benefit of this to Heritage Scotland and any other heritage location is that not only is any fire-risk well covered, but in the event of activation, the structure, fabric and the artifacts within the castle would be susceptible to a greatly reduced risk of water and smoke damage.

Nick Ketteridge, the Technical Director of Ultra Fire Group, said “The installation here at Stirling has certainly been a challenge, but by working closely with both the architects and heritage Scotland, the results have been outstanding, and admired by many. We are proud to have been involved in a project of such historical significance ”

For further details of this unique installation and advice on how Ultra Fire Group sympathetically brings technology and heritage together, visit the Ultra Fire Group website.

ONE STOP FOR ALL IN FIRE PROTECTION

When Ultra recently acquired Surefire Systems and Surefire Services we brought together an exceptional range of technical skills and services to offer customers. The two parts of the new organisation complement each other very well, each operating as separate brands and each contributing their strong reputation in fire protection and their high level of technical engineering experience to the partnership.

The newest development is the launch of Surefire’s Sprinkler Department, which is an exciting addition to our portfolio of maintenance services. It means that we can provide customers with servicing for all their fire protection equipment in just one visit. This makes for more competitive, straightforward quotations while saving time and hassle for their businesses.

Fire maintenance packages can include:
• Fire Alarm Systems – conventional, addressable, wireless etc.
• Emergency Lighting
• Fire Suppression Systems – FM200, Pro-inert, Ansul etc
• Water Mist Systems
• Specialist Detection – air sampling, water detection etc
• Sprinkler Systems
• Fire Extinguishers and Hose Reels
• Dry Risers

We have 30 years of accumulated knowledge across every area of fire protection and can provide competitive quotes on installations and upgrades. A call to us on 0845 601 4110 could be a very good move.

Ultra Gear up for FIREX 2011

As FIREX 2011 rapidly approaches, the Ultra Fire Group are putting the finishing touches to their presence at the exhibition.

A display showcasing the UltraGuard mobile and automatic water mist suppression unit and a number of experts will be available to talk to on stand J40 for the duration of the exhibition, and Nick Ketteridge, the UFG Technical Director, will be giving a talk on the advantages of this fire suppression technology on the BRE stand on the 18th of May at 2pm.

Ultra have a presence on the European Standard CEN/TC191 working group with Nick Ketteridge advising on specific protocols for application scenarios. This level of in-depth expertise is typical of the Ultra Fire Group, who have been built on the premise that being at the leading edge of technology and having a back ground of engineering excellence is the best way to offer ground-breaking suppression solutions to industry.

Come along to stand J40 and see what we have to offer in terms of expertise, equipment, application and installation advice and a whole host of other information.

Good News for Housing Association Fire Protection

A joint venture between Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue, Stevenage Borough Council and the Ultra Fire Group will be demonstrating and explaining the benefits of Watermist to an audience of Housing Associations.


Nick Ketteridge, the Technical Director of the Ultra Fire Group, will be explaining the concept of water mist and how it works in combating fires at source. There will be a live demonstration of Ultra's 'FireGuard' portable water mist system - designed to protect vulnerable people and areas. The UltraGuard is portable, quickly installed and can be programmed to send warning messages to management, residents and the Fire & Rescue Services via SMS, telephone or local area networks.


The demonstration will cover all aspects of UltraGuard, including the integral control panel and the fail-safe power supply system that consists of a mains trickle charge and a 7 day back-up battery in the event of power failure. 


Water mist uses 20% of the water required by a conventional sprinkler system and as such lends itself to be used in flexible, portable units for specific fire risk control. Tested at BRE Watford in front of many Fire Brigades recently, the unit is a unique answer to a problem faced by many Housing Associations and multiple-occupation residences, as well as being a solution to other venues in search of temporary fire suppression systems.


UltraGuard can be ready for use in short time and requires nothing but a power supply. For further details on this and a wide range of other products, visit the Ultra Fire Group website at www.ultrafiregroup.co.uk or call 0845 6008330 for expert advice.